Never Again
by J.C. Thomas
Summary: Pietro considers the horror of what happened to his family because of his father.


Hey guys... J.C. Thomas here... recently I was listening to NICKELBACK and noticed that one song in particular reminded me of Pietro. Let me explain... I don't know Pietro's full past so what I don't know I'm making up. Hehe... hope you can forgive me this one time cause this is going to be rated R for language, violence, and adult themes... Hope you in enjoy.  
  
Never Again  
  
by J.C. Thomas  
  
Pietro Maximoff considered himself a blessed guy. He had the looks, the clothes, the life that most teenagers dreamed about. Well, so it wasn't that great. He was a mutant and was a member of the troublemaker group the Brotherhood. One day the lines had been clear as to who was not to be with and who he was. Then his father left. Then the lines blurred. He became friends with their once rivals the X-Men. Some of them anyway. Then he became interested in the traitor... Rogue. The lines completely disappeared after that. What was wrong with him? What was right? His father wasn't here to dictate anymore. Pietro became confused. He hated his father for all he had ever done to him and their family, but that didn't mean he knew what to do. Pietro was lying in his room considering the lines, listening to the radio when a Nickelback song came on.  
  
-He's drunk again  
  
It's time to fight  
  
She must have done  
  
Something wrong tonight  
  
The living room  
  
Becomes a boxing ring  
  
It's time to run  
  
When you see him  
  
Clenching his hands  
  
She's just a woman  
  
Never again-  
  
A memory flashed in Pietro's mind when he was merely 9 years old, it had been right before his father had left Wanda at that place. His father had come home drunk every night that year, he kept saying something about stress at work, making excuses. Pietro had heard them yelling at each other... again.  
  
"Where have you been?" Pietro's mother had asked that night.  
  
"None of your fucking business, Women." The man who called himself Pietro's father yelled drunkenly.  
  
"You're drunk again... leave!"  
  
"I don't have to fucking leave! This is my house!"  
  
"No, don't, Eric." His mother pleaded.  
  
"Maybe this'll teach you a lesson!"  
  
Wanda began to softly cry already knowing what was going to happen, Pietro crawled into her bed to try and comfort her, but to no avail. This wasn't happening. She was just a woman... couldn't he see that?  
  
-I hear her scream  
  
From down the hall  
  
Amazing she can  
  
Even talk at all  
  
She cries to me  
  
Go back to bed  
  
I'm terrified that  
  
She'll wind up  
  
Dead in his hands  
  
She's just a woman  
  
Never again-  
  
He heard the scream from the bedroom. From the thud he was actually shocked she had voice left. He told Wanda he'd be right back and tip toed down stairs to see her lying on the floor blood dripping from her head.  
  
"Mom..." A terrified Pietro asked shakily hoping she was still alive. His mother twitched and looked over at him from his spot at the bottom of the stair.  
  
"Go to bed, Pietro... please." She cried trying to get up.  
  
Pietro shook his no, the figure of his drunken father appeared looming over his mother.  
  
"Go to bed.. now." His mother hissed, struggling to get up. Pietro hesitated. "GO!" His mother yelled, Pietro dashed upstairs just barely fast enough to escape the sight of his father jerking her up.  
  
"He's going to kill her." He whispered to himself before he entered his and Wanda's bedroom to see Wanda was crying uncontrollably. Pietro tried his best to soothe his twin, but he was having a hard enough time just to calm himself.  
  
-Been there before  
  
But not like this  
  
Seen it before  
  
But not like this  
  
Never before  
  
Have I ever  
  
Seen it this bad  
  
She's just a woman  
  
Never again-  
  
This had been happening too often lately, but never, ever this bad. Just a slap or two then his father would leave until the next morning and be the best father there was. Never blood. Never blood. How could his father do this?  
  
-Just tell the nurse  
  
You slipped and fell  
  
It starts to sting  
  
As it starts to swell  
  
She looks at you  
  
She wants the truth  
  
It's right out there  
  
In the waiting room  
  
With those hands  
  
Lookin' just  
  
As sweet as he can  
  
Never again-  
  
She looked at us as the nurse patched her up. The nurse kept asking them what had happened.  
  
"I slipped and fell." Our poor mother lied. The nurse looked to the two nine year olds hoping for them to tell her the truth she already knew. They could only look away and mumble what our mother had said.  
  
"She slipped and fell, ma'am." The truth was just outside the door in the waiting room. He had been the angel today, bringing his wife flowers and taking her to the hospital. Pietro pictured his father looking at those hands, the hands he had beaten Pietro's mother with. That was the truth, not some bogus lie, not even the nurse believed. HE had done this. Pietro wanted to scream it, but didn't, the now older Pietro wished that he had. But how could a nine year old have what was to happen?  
  
-Seen it before  
  
But not like this  
  
Been there before  
  
But not like this  
  
Never before  
  
Have I ever  
  
Seen it this bad  
  
She's just a woman  
  
Never again-  
  
They were home now, the living room was still not picked up from the night before. He and Wanda tried to tidy it, to pretend nothing had happened at all. Then Pietro found the blood. The awful blood, that his father had shed. He hated his father then, more than he ever had. It had never been this bad, never. She was just a woman. How could he do this?  
  
-Father's a name  
  
You haven't earned yet  
  
You're just a child  
  
With a temper  
  
Haven't you heard  
  
"Don't hit a lady"?  
  
Kickin' your as*  
  
Would be a pleasure-  
  
Pietro decided than and there, as a nine year old, that his father was not a father. He never deserved to be one. Pietro had so many times that he wanted to just scream is complete contempt for the man who dared to call himself a father and husband.  
  
"Ever heard 'don't hit a lady'?" He so wanted to kick his father's ass. It would be the utmost pleasure to do so. But what could he do? He was only nine. Little did he know, that he would only have to see her hurt one more time.  
  
-He's drunk again  
  
It's time to fight  
  
Same old sh*t  
  
Just on a different night  
  
She grabs the gun  
  
She's had enough  
  
Tonight she'll find out  
  
How f***ing  
  
Tough is this man  
  
Pulls the trigger  
  
Just as fast as she can  
  
Never again-  
  
Drunk again. How nice. Same old shit just on a different night. Eric slapped his wife with Wanda and Pietro right in the room. Something he never did. Pietro wasn't surprised when his mother grabbed the gun from the side table. She had had enough of him. Tonight they would all find out the terrible truth that was Magneto. She pulled the trigger.  
  
-Seen it before  
  
But not like this  
  
Been there before  
  
But not like this  
  
Never before  
  
Have I ever  
  
Seen it this bad  
  
She's just a woman  
  
Never again-  
  
He had seen some terrible things in his young life, but none of it would ever compare to what happened that night. His mother had fired the gun, trying to kill him, wanting him dead, expecting him to die. But the bullet froze in mid air. Pietro's mouth dropped open, how in the...? His mother screamed with frustration then terror as the gun was some how ripped from her hand. Wanda buried herself in Pietro's grasp. His mother crumbled to the ground. His father now held both bullet and gun his hands.  
  
"Thought you'd try and kill me, Rachel, I thought you were smarter than that." Eric grinned evilly, somehow no longer drunk. Rachel Maximoff simply rocked back and forth. Pietro knew that she had died. Not physically, no that would have been better, no her spirit shattered, her soul stripped from her, her sanity gone. Eric laughed and left then. Wanda peeled herself away from Pietro and moved to her mother.  
  
"Mommy..." Wanda whispered. Pietro stayed where he was in the doorway, it was useless, their mother was gone. The rest of that evening was a blur all he could he remember was Wanda screaming for their mother and police coming and Rachel Maximoff being taken away, never to be seen again.  
  
The song ended and Pietro was crying. Dante looked over to him questioning. Pietro shook his head. He'd be fine. Soon.  
  
******************  
  
I say that has to be my most dramatic piece of work so far...  
  
J.C. Thomas 


End file.
